Automatic weigher



June 1953 H. SCHMID ET AL I 2,641,436

AUTOMATIC WEIGHER Filed Dec. 16. 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTOlFl/E).

June 9, 1953 H. SCHMID ET AL AUTOMATIC WEIGHER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 16, 1949 w u 3 J w A w m 4H June 9, 1953 H. SCHMID ET AL 2,641,435

AUTOMATIC WEIGHER Y j INVENTORS Patented June 9, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,641,436 AUTOMATIC WEIGHER Herman Schmid and Albert P. Hobush, Kingston, N.QY,, assignors to Incoro, 1110., Kingston, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 16, 1949, Serial No. 133,426

1 Claim. 1

invention is an improved dispensing apparatus;v and especially. a dispensing apparatus for delivering prepared material in predetermined quantities by weight.

An important object of this invention is to provide asupporting member for a receptacle into which an admeasuredquantity of the material is delivered, and means actuated by the weight of the .contents of the receptaclei'or stopping the production and. delivery of the material as soon as the desired amount thereof has been deposited in the. receptacle.

A further object is to provide a supporting member to serve as an adjunct to a machine by which said material is processed, and which is operated by a power. unit such as an electric motor; said member having connections which are operated to interrupt the circuit of. the motor and stop the machine when the weight of the receptaale and its contents displaces said member. .,Another object is to provide the supporting memberwith counterweighting means which is Wei-balanced by the weight of the contents of thereceptaole to open the motor circuit as soon as the required. amount of material has been delivered to said receptacle.

Other objects and the advantages of the improvement are clearly set forth in the ensuing description; and the novel-features are'lpointed out in'the claim. The-drawings illustrate the best. form of the invention now known to us, but changes in shape, size and arrangement of parts can of-oourse be made without really altering the essential construction in which the invention is embodied.

Onsaid drawings:

i ure 1 is a frontcview of apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention, showhas all but the top.

Figur 2 is a detail in section, taken along the line 2-2 on Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section along line i i -Jon Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an elevation of the panel bearing theindicating-means,

Figure 5 is a transverse horizontal section along line; 5+5 on Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a horizontal-section on line t-6 in Figure 3, and Figure 7 showsthe electrical circuit. for operating and controlling the apparatus.

1 The apparatus comprises a housing I., standing upon a base 2. The machine for processing the materialis indicated at 3, andis operated by an electricmotor 4. The'machine 3 is adapted to grindcofieewhichit receives from a hopper or bin 5 at the upper part of the housing, this hopper having a bottom 5 with inclined sidesall converging to an outlet opening 1 above the machine 3. After being ground in the manner required, the coffee is discharged through a chute or spout 8 into a receptacle, such as an ordinary paper bag 9, resting on a supporting member or plate ID. A counterweight H holds the plate 40; in position while th ground coffee is discharged into the bag it by the spout 8; but as soon as the contents of the bag attain the predetermined weight they overbalance the counterweight i land cause it to rise. This action, as will presently be eriiplained, causes a switch in the-electric supply circuit of the motor to open, so that the operation of the motor and oi'the grinder at once ceases. The counterweight H can be adjusted if desired, so that the bag 9 will receive one pound, two pounds or diiferent quantity of ground coilee before the grinder is stopped.

The front of the casing land base 2 has a recess E2 in which the platelD-is disposed. The plate is carried by a rocking seat or-frame con-- sisting mainly of two L-shaped arms I3 pivotally mounted in fixed uprights M on the base 2. The

:parts of the angle-shaped arms [3 in the recess [2 under the plate to are substantially horizontal,

and the parts between the posts [4 are Vertical The arms l3-have horizontal extensions 15 projecting to the rear. of the posts .14 and united attheir ends by a cross barifi. The junctions of the extensions 15 and the vertical portions of the arms [3 are united by a cross shaft I! having a longitudinal bore to receive a: fixed pin l8 projectin at both ends from the shaft 17. The extremities IQ of the pin 18 ar triangular in shape,- with the apex of each pointing downward and engaging notches or recesses in projections 20 on the inner faces of the posts '14. The seat for the plate it madev up of" the arms 13, with extensions I5, is thus suspendedvbetweentheposts 14 inknife edge-bearings. Alsothe front ends of the arms l3 are spanned by a cross bar 2 Lwith similar triangular ends [9, .eachhaving an apex. at

the top. The ends I9 of the bar 2| fitinto tri-- angular notches on projections 22 affixed under: the lower face of the plate 10 at the ends ofithe'; Thus the plate l0 is mounted by means latter. of knife edge bearings in the frame carrying it. The plate has hook-shaped stops 23 beneath it and under the arms 13, and fixed upright arms 24 at the two sides and back, and. the arms 24 links 25 to'the upright posts 14. To the cross bar. I5 isailixed a. rearwardextending rod-oi" 3 shank 28 bearing the counterweight II. This arm is preferably threaded to permit the weight to be adjusted, and it may be locked in place by an ordinary binding screw 21.

By means of the angle-shaped arms l3 with horizontal portions under the support l8, and vertical portions pivotally attached at their upper ends to the posts l4, and the links 25 of proper length pinned to the upright arms 24 and to the posts l4 above the vertical portions of the arms IS, the member or plate It! is maintained horizontal when the arms l3 are depressed and all risk of tipping the receptacle on the plate and spilling the contents is obviated.

Secured to the back of the uprights l4 above the extensions [5 is a switch casing 28 which contains a switch in the circuit of the motor 4, part of which is indicated at 29. One of the extensions bears a projection on top. This projection is out of operative position when the member H is down, but when the plate 18 sinks under the weight of the coffee in the bag 9, the part 30 Will open the switch and break the motor circuit. The grinding and delivery of the coffee will then stop. The switch device in the casing 28 is not the main switch, which as Figure "I shows is of course mounted within convenient reach, so that the motor circuit will be closed only when a bag 9 is stood on the plate 18 to be filled.

The posts i4 also carry stop screws 3! to engage the vertical parts of the arms [3, for adjustment of said arms. In the base 2 a plate 32 closes the bottom of the recess l2.

The motor casing is conveniently suspended in the housing I by a metal strap or sling 33 which is affixed at its ends to projections 34 on the lower side of the bottom 8 of the bin 5. The top of the housing has an opening 35, through which the bin or hopper can be charged with the roasted coffee beans to be ground and this opening is closed by a lid 38 having a knob 31 for handling. The front and back of the housing have windows closed by transparent panes 38, so that the level of the coffee in the bin can be watched.

The grinder 3 is not part of this invention and is constructed to deliver the coffee ground in any one of the usual four ways, to serve as regular or coarsely ground coffee, powdered coffee, drip coffee or percolator coffee. For this purpose the grinder has a rotatable knob 39 in front to set the machine to deliver the kind of ground coffee ground. in any one of the four ways mentioned, as each customer may desire. The knob carries a block of insulation 40, at the end of a fixed arm 4|. The arm projects upward and the insulator 40 bears on its inner face a conductor strip 42 with overturned ends. This strip cooperates with four pairs of terminals 43 on the outer face of the front of the housing and bridges each pair to close separate circuits by which the manner of grinding is controlled. The terminals 43 are heads on the ends of bolts 44 to which the conductors of the controlling circuits are united. The front of the housing is made of plastic or some other insulating substance and the bolts 44 are carried by blocks of insulation 45, secured by the bolts in position on the housing I, see Figure 2.

At the rear the apparatus carries means for indicating the kind of coffee which is being ground and delivered, according to the setting of the grinder and motor by the head 39. The backof the housing has anopening closed by a frame 48 holding a transparent pane 41 on its inner face. This frame has intersecting bars 48 dividing it into four windows. Over the inner face of the frame is secured a sheet or frame of metal 49 with a central opening 58, the edges of which overlap the pane 48 and hold it in place. This sheet has intersecting ribs 5| inside the housing registering with the bars 48 so as to form four open sections, each for a different illuminating lamp. At the ends of the plate 49 each section or compartment has a clip 52 aflixed to its edge and carrying a lamp socket 53. The separate lamps or indicator members in the sockets 53 are shown at 54, with supply wires 55. The lamps are so connected that each is in circuit with a different pair of terminals 43. Hence each lamp will be illuminated when the corresponding circuit is closed, and the operator can tell whether the grinding is being done in the manner ordered. On the glass 41 words may be inscribed over each of the lamps to inform the operator whether regular ground coffee, powdered coffee or drip or percolator coffee is being produced. The sheet 49 is attached by screws 56, engaging the frame 48. The switch casing 28 can be mounted on the posts l4 by a cross bar 51. Stops 58 on the outside of the housing I limit the movement of the knob 39, and the bottom of the bin 5 has a projection 88 with a flat end, forming a seat 8| against which the motor is held by the strap 33.

The stops 23 are the ends of a bar 82 bent downwardly towards each other. The bar 82 is aflixed to the under side of a bar 63 made fast to the lower face of the plate l8 and these stops 23 prevent the lateral displacement of the plate from the rocking seat carrying it. The seats for the knife edge bearing elements l9 on the arms [3 are secured with the corners of the bar 83 on strip 82 under the plate H).

The circuit for the motor 4 is illustrated in Figure '7. The switch in the casing 28 operated by the rocking seat comprises a movable blade 84 and a fixed terminal 85, the former being actuated by the projection 38 when the counterweight ll rises. The leads of the circuit are attached to a connector plug 88 which can be inserted into an ordinary outlet for the light and power circuit of a building. The circuit also has a hand-operated switch 81; the motor, the

switch 87 and the switch actuated by the rock ing seat all being in series. In parallel with the two switches aforesaid is a third switch having a movable blade 88 and a fixed terminal 89; and bridging the circuit at a point between the switch actuated by the rocking seat and the main switch 81 on one side, and a point between the motor and the plug 88 on the other, is a magnet coil I0. The switch terminals 84 and 65 are normally in contact, but the switch 81 is normally open. It can be closed by pressure, but imme diately opens when released. The switch blade 68 is held open by a spring that need not be shown herein.

To use the apparatus, the attendant presses the button or knob of the switch 81 and then releases it. The circuit is thus closed and current flows through the coil 18 and pulls the blade 88 down into contact with the fixed terminal 89. The terminals of the switch 81 are now separated, but current flows through the terminal 88 and 89, and the terminals 84 and 85 till the plate I8 is depressed and the weight H is lifted. The circuit is then broken by the projection 38 and the terminals 88 and 89 open. Because the switch 61 will open at once when released, there is no risk of the circuit being closed except during the grinding process.

Each of the lamps 54 is of course in series with the right pairs of terminals 53 to indicate correctly the manner in which the grinder is operating.

The invention is thus well calculated to give the objects in view. The apparatus is effective and certain in operation, but relatively simple, and not likely to get out of order.

Having described our invention what we believe to be new is:

Apparatus for feeding prepared material from a machine having a housing with a feed chute and a motor to operate the machine, said apparatus comprising a supporting member adjacent the chute for a receptacle, angle-shaped arms each having a horizontal portion under said member, bearings on said portions and said member for movably mounting said member on said portions, said arms also having vertical portions, vertical posts at the sides of said member adjacent said vertical portions, a pin supported by said posts and engaging said vertical portions References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,260,556 Layman Mar. 26, 1918 1,954,030 Von Pein Apr. 10, 1934 2,000,958 Jarrier May 14, 1935 2,019,013 Kopf Oct. 29, 1935 2,217,069 Meeker Oct. 8, 1940 2,280,614 Ayars Apr. 21, 1942 2,495,562 Wolf Jan. 24, 1950 

